


Tainted

by EmberSkye



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gavin Reed Being an Asshole, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Poor Connor, Sick Character, Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 07:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15881100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberSkye/pseuds/EmberSkye
Summary: Gavin Reed is an asshole yet again, and decides to give Connor a packet of tainted blue blood as a "peace offering". It doesn't react well in Connor's system and he basically contracts a stomach flu.





	Tainted

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I hate a lot of this story, as there is a lot I would change if I re-wrote it, but it did well on Tumblr so I figured you guys might want to read it as well.

It’s not uncommon for Connor to be injured during his investigations with the Detroit Police Department. Actually, it’s become somewhat of a tradition. Find culprit, get shot at, refuse to listen to Hank, get hurt— rinse, and repeat. Every time they find themselves in the presence of a quote on quote “evildoer”, Connor manages to at least get scratched. This time, he’s managed to have a screwdriver plunged into his shoulder. It had happened in a split second, and Connor found himself noticing it only after capturing the criminal. Both Hank and detective Reed had been following him. Hank shouting at Connor for taking drastic measures, and Reed shouting in hopes Connor be killed. Gavin still hasn’t accepted him into the DPD, though it barely mattered as everyone else did.

“Goddamnit, Connor!” Hank says as he jogs up to the deviant. Connor already has the criminal in handcuffs, so he hands him off to Reed, and then subsequently rips the screwdriver from its place in his shoulder. A quick diagnostic shows that he’s lost a bit of thirium, but is otherwise okay. Hank is fussing over him, all the while shouting about needing to be careful. “Those bastards at Cyberlife can’t replace you if you’re killed, Connor. You need to be careful.” 

Connor catches the concern in the lieutenant's voice, a sort of urgency Connor hasn’t heard since the night he had departed for Jericho. He knows he has to be careful, he just hadn’t noticed the screwdriver in all of the excitement. 

“God, you just have to keep giving me heart attacks, don’t you?”  Hank lays his head against Connor’s shoulder for a moment, though he quickly moves, and asks Connor about his status, and if the screwdriver had damaged any important biocomponents. 

“I’m fine, Hank.” Connor says. He already feels the injury healing itself. All that was left was replenishing the blue blood he had lost. Hank seems to notice this, and gets up to grab a bag of thirium from their car nearby. Before he can get up however, Gavin is approaching them with a bag already in tow. Connor is immediately suspicious of this, but hopes that this is just a sign that the detective has finally accepted him as part of the precinct. Hank though, doesn’t hesitate to express his concerns.

“Gavin, you’re shitting me if you think Connor is going to drink that. For all we know, you poisoned it or something!” He’s worked up from Connor’s injury, so his words come across harsher than Connor assumes he had intended. Connor just waves a hand in dismissal of Hank’s words, hoping to gain the trust of the one DPD officer to still dislike his presence in Detroit. Gavin notices this, and points it out to Hank. A smirk is playing at his lips that Connor finds completely unsettling.

“See, even Connor agrees that you’re being ridiculous,” Gavin’s smirk grows as Hank looks to Connor in disbelief, but he doesn’t say anything, and Gavin hands the packet of blue blood off to the injured android. Connor tears the top of the packet, and downs it within seconds. He runs a diagnostic to see if his thirium levels are stabilizing. He finds that they are, and is surprised to find Hank wrong about Gavin being an asshole for once. Connor gives the lieutenant a thumbs up. Hank just sighs in exasperation, and storms off with a comment congratulating the two on their budding bromance.

Connor stands and follows, he makes it to the car a split second after Hank, where the man is angrily dialing his phone to make a quick report back to Fowler. Connor watches and waits for Hank to hang up. Once he does, they both climb into the car, where Hank tells Connor that Gavin is going to bring the criminal back to the station. They’re relieved of their duties for the day, much to both of their delight. As much as Connor  _ likes  _ paperwork, it’s been a long day, and he’s looking forward to relaxing with Sumo on his lap. Hank seems just as happy to be going home, so they pull out, and fall into a comfortable silence. 

The ride home isn’t a long one, but somehow, in the short amount of time they’ve been in the car, Connor has realized that something is not right. About five minutes into the ride, as Hank and Connor listen to one of the only Knights of the Black Death ballads, Connor finds himself feeling rather warm. This is odd because the injury he had sustained earlier wasn’t even close to hitting his thermoregulator, so any malfunctions from it were completely unwarranted. Connor runs another diagnostic to make sure he’s okay. Maybe this is just a fluke? Maybe Hank just has the heat up higher than usual, and his systems are just having trouble regulating his temperature? 

The diagnostic take all but two seconds to tell him what’s wrong. Connor knows his LED is flashing yellow at the results, he just hopes Hank doesn’t notice. 

WARNING TAINTED THIRIUM DETECTED . . .

CURRENT PERCENTAGE . . . 15%

So the packet of thirium Gavin had given him  _ was  _ tainted. He had a feeling, due to the consistency when consuming it, but he was attempting to trust detective Reed. Now, he sees the error of his ways, but it still hurts to be tricked like that. 

Connor debates on saying something. He knows he should, but he also knows that his filters are working to burn down the tainted thirium and purify it. That must be why he feels so warm. His systems are on a slight overdrive, causing his thermoregulator to work harder than it’s used to. Connor puts trust in his filters, and makes a mental note to drink more thirium when they get back. That should stabilize him and make it so that his systems don’t have to work so hard.

The rest of the drive is painstakingly slow for Connor. He’s nervous about the tainted blue blood running through his veins. Out of nervousness alone, he runs two more diagnostics, and finds that the percentage of tainted thirium is going up. Not down. The second diagnostic show it’s risen to 23%. The third brings it up to 27%.

At this point Connor is panicking. He’s panting, despite not needing to breathe, and he feels as if the tainted thirium is rolling around in the pits of his biocomponents. The feeling remind him of a washing machine. 

His mind is screaming at him to tell Hank, but he still holds off. He doesn’t want to worry his friend. Hank has already worried about him enough for one night. He can deal with this alone. Even if the thought of doing so terrifies him more than the rising levels of tainted thirium in his system.

Lost in thought, Connor barely registers the warning that flashes before his vision. It’s telling him that his filters have all but stopped working; that there’s too much tainted thirium in his system. Another diagnostic tells him that it’s already gotten up to 35%. His body doesn’t know what to do with it, so the next warning that flashes against his sensors warns him of an impending purge. The tainted blue blood isn’t doing his body any favors. Connor knows this, but he holds back. Not allowing his body to shift until he’s at least out of the car.

That was his plan, anyway. Wait for the car to stop, get out, and  _ then  _ allow his body to purge the tainted blue blood. The farthest he gets, however, is opening the door. 

Turns out holding back on vomiting wasn’t a great idea, as all it did was cause Connor more discomfort. He gets about halfway out the car before his biocomponents contract. He tries to stop himself, but there’s already thirium on his lap, so he focuses on exiting the vehicle, not wanting to cause any more damage. His joints feel stiff, making it hard to stand, but he manages, and the next wave of thirium that escapes him hits the pavement instead of himself or the car.

Hank, up until this point, is completely unaware of what was going on with Connor. He doesn’t even notice until he turns around to investigate what’s taking the android so long. It’s a complete shock, but he rushes over nonetheless, determined to comfort his robo-child  (finally managed to incorporate this into a story of mine lol) .

Hands make their way to Connor’s back before Hank can even think about it. He’s confused about what’s going on, but he doesn’t let that stop him from whispering encouragement as Connor tenses and heaves one last wave of blue blood onto the ground. Hank waits for a moment before asking what the hell that was, wanting the kid to catch his breath before he hounds him with questions.

“You alright, kid?” Is the first question he asks. Connor is shaking, and nearly crumbles under Hank’s touch. Hank rushes to catch him before he hits the ground. It’s hell on his back, but at least he’s managed to stop Connor from collapsing fully. “Connor?” He notices that Connor’s eyes are closed. He looks like he’s in pain, so Hank opts to bring him inside before he asks anymore questions.

If Hank thought catching Connor was hard on his back, he should have guessed that dragging him inside would be ten times worse. The kid tries to help, but he’s so drained from his episode outside that his legs keep giving out. That just makes the process harder, so Hank tells Connor to relax. He’s got this. It’s painful, but he’s got this.

Eventually, they make it inside, where Hank deposits Connor onto the couch. He starts assessing the damage done to Connor’s clothes, and himself. From the amount of blue blood on Connor’s pants, Hank almost thinks that he’s been injured again. But the blue staining Connor’s lips tells him that he had just been a little late getting out of the car. He wishes Connor would have told him. He would have tried to be more helpful. 

As Hank studies Connor, he notices how upset the kid looks. His LED is flashing a steady red, and he keeps swallowing, almost as if he’s nauseous. Hank wonders if that’s even possible, though he dismisses the thought in favor of making sure Connor was okay.

“You okay?” Hank asks. Connor shakes his head. He feels horrid, and honestly, he doesn’t know how to deal with it. 

Hank frowns and places his hand on Connor’s shoulder, squeezing in hopes the kid would calm down. He looks like he’s gonna cry. Hank wants to prevent that with all of his might. 

Hank sighs and sits beside the android, allowing him to place his head on his shoulder. Then he continues attempting to comfort Connor by saying, “talk to me.” Connor nods and tries to think of a way to place what he’s feeling. More warnings flash across his vision, and he thinks about the need to consume more thirium.

“Gavin is an asshole,” Connor whispers. His voice sounds watery, but also mechanical, like his voice box is malfunctioning. Hank nods, but inquires what Reed has to do with the situation. “The thirium he gave me, it was tainted,” he swallows again, his body threatening to send more thirium up his throat. It’s not as violent, so he’s able to swallow it down. The noise causes Hank to shutter, but Connor ignores it. He forgoes his embarrassment to keep from losing it on Hank’s couch, which means he also has to forgo Hank’s obvious displays of disgust. 

“I knew he was trying to pull something,” Hank says, tired. Connor just nods, and runs another diagnostic. It alerts him to how low his thirium levels are, and also lets him know how the level of tainted thirium has lowered to about 20%. More warnings flash across his vision, telling him that he needs thirium. He knows this, and attempts to get up so he can retrieve some. His joints still feel stiff, so Hank stops him, and asks what it is he needs. Connor lets him know, and watches as the lieutenant heads to the bathroom. He returns second later, and hands Connor the packet, watching as the android carefully drinks the liquid. It’s almost as if Connor’s body is rejecting the consumption of blue blood, because as soon as the thirium reaches his throat, it’s shooting back up again. More warnings flash across his sensors. This time making Connor aware of when he’d be sick again.

Hank seems to realize something is wrong, because he’s rushing to grab the trash can from the kitchen. While thirium does evaporate, neither of them want to stare at puddles of blue, so he shoves the basin under the android’s mouth just as he jerks forward with another heave. The tirium Connor had just drank makes a new appearance, along with everything else that seems to be in Connor’s system. The more he loses, the weaker he feels. His body feels like it’s shutting down and the experience is terrifying.

By time Connor is finished, he’s definitely crying. Hank’s heart aches at the sight, so he moves the trash can and wraps his arms around Connor, thinking about his first course of action. 

“What’s your status?” Hank asks. He finds himself a little scared to know the answer, but Connor tells him. His thirium levels are below a safe level, and the percentage of tainted blue blood had shifted down to 13%. He tells Hank that the tainted level of thirium is still rising, due to the fact that pure thirium can be contaminated by unclean blue blood. 

“What do we need to do?” Hank moves to look Connor in the face, wiping away some of the tears that fall from his eyes.

Connor ponders their next move, knowing consuming thirium was out of the question. The only thing he could think was wait. His filters needed time to come back online, but he’s afraid of how his body will react, not having the optimal amount of thirium it needs to stay cool and lubricated. Plus, if his body decides to expel more of the tainted blue blood, he knows his body will overheat, forcing him into either low-power mode, or even a full on shutdown. He tries to keep the last thought out of his mind, but the rising contamination levels fill him with anxiety. 

“I have to wait,” Connor says. He struggles to get the words out. Without enough thirium, Connor’s system has switched its priority to his thermoregulator, attempting to keep him from overheating. He can feel his temperature rising, however, so he knows he doesn’t have long. He checks the status of his filters, and finds that his systems have started a repair, but the progress is slow. Connor knows he’ll have to go into stasis. He tries to tell Hank this, but only succeeds in releasing a muttered mechanical sound. The whirring of his system in overdrive scares the both of them, and Connor feels his systems shutting down around him. He quickly sends a frenzied text to Hank, explaining what to do. Hank seems terrified, but he’s keeping himself as under control as he can.

“Alright,” Hank says. He runs a hand through his hair, swallowing in fear. “If you need to power off, that’s fine. Just don’t…” Whatever Hank wanted to say dies on his lips, and Connor sees a flash of pain cross his face. Connor wishes he could say something, but in the moment following that thought, his system switches to low power mode, and he’s forced to close his eyes. Everything goes black, and for a second, Connor wonders if that’s the last thing he’d ever see. 

When Connor comes to, its to darkness and the feeling of extreme lethargy. He’s not used to feeling tired, but finds it to be a significant improvement over what he felt before powering off. He sits up slowly, battling through a small bout of vertigo, and locates Hank sleeping at the kitchen table. It’s a sight Connor’s all too used to seeing. He expects the scene to involve a picture frame, a revolver, alcohol, but finds there to be nothing of the like. Connor rises on unsteady feet, runs a quick diagnostic, and heads over to wake Hank from his spot at the table.

“Wake up, Hank,” Connor calls. He places a hand on Hank’s back, shaking him gently. It don’t take much to wake Hank, so Connor soon finds himself eye to eye with a slightly confused lieutenant. 

“Oh,” Hank says. He runs a hand down his face in an attempt to clear away some of his drowsiness. It doesn’t work. “You’re awake.” He looks over Connor, and finds him largely normal, save from the dirtied clothes and disheveled appearance. It’s not normal to see Connor _ not perfect _ . Honestly, it was odd for Hank to see.

“How do you feel?” Hank asks. He reaches over to pull out one of the other chairs, urging Connor to sit when he begins to sway. Connor doesn’t protest, and sits heavily on the chair. He thinks about how to describe what he feels, and finds one word in particular describes the feeling perfectly.

“Tired,” he says. There’s a heaviness on his shoulders that refuses to abade, so he opts to lean onto the table, hoping to relieve the pressure, if just a little. Hank notices, and places a comforting hand on Connor’s shoulder. It helps too. Connor is grateful for it.

“What do ya need?” Hank asks. He already knows the answer, but waits to get up until Connor says it. 

“Thirium,” Connor says. He watches as Hank nods, stands, and leaves for the bathroom. He returns in seconds, handing off a packet, while placing a few more on the table. Connor finds himself hesitant to drink, but does so anyway. The thirium is smooth going down. Connor finds he quite likes the feeling. He’s already feeling better after getting through a packet. The second one goes down without a hint of hesitation.

“Better?” Hank slurs. There’s exhaustion in his voice, but also contentment. Hank was glad to see the android feeling more alert. Connor nods. He sits back in his chair, and suggests they both head to bed after noticing a yawn from Hank.

“We  _ do  _ have work in the morning,” Connor says. There’s a small smile playing at his lips, which widens when Hank feigns exasperation, mumbling something along the lines of, “ _ don’t remind me. _ ” Connor does, and they both head to bed with tired smiles on their faces.

The next day starts with Hank punching Gavin. It earns him a few days suspension, but Hank tells everyone it was worth it. The bastard  _ did  _ poison his kid after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Feel free to tell me what I should improve! I'm always looking to improve.


End file.
